A funny thing happened on the way to this forum

Something possessed me to climb back into my archives this afternoon. Waaaaay back. Like to month #1. Post #1. Guess what... I've been blogging for a year and a week. I missed my blogiversary or blog-birthday or whatever we're calling it now.

I feel like I should have something deep and meaningful to say about the significance of a year of baring my soul here. But somehow, having missed the actual date takes the wind out of those sails. So instead I present you with the Stuart Smalley meme that's been making the rounds. Aliki tagged me after a tag from Bub and Pie. The point is to list 10 things that one actually likes about oneself. Here goes:

1. I like my hair. When I was younger, I wanted to be either blond (more fun) or red-headed (not sure why, but I've always had a thing for red-heads) and thought my brown hair was quite boring. But I've come to appreciate that it's a rich, textured brown with a wide range of natural highlights, including blond and red.

2. I like my eyes. Not so crazy about the name 'hazel,' since it basically means anything that's not a single color. My eyes are mostly green, with a brown starburst around the pupil. The same range of browns in my hair. I match!

3. I like the way my mind works. It's a bit difficult to describe to those who aren't in here with me. On the one hand, I can reduce much information into mathematical statements--that's how I make sense of things and find patterns. On the other, I enjoy pushing beyond the surface and dealing with symbolism and flights of fancy.

4. I like my sense of empathy. I can put myself into another's position without too much effort. Even if it means extra sorrow and tears sometimes, I wouldn't give up this sort of connection for anything.

5. I like that I am kind. And that this drives me. I do not go out of my way to be mean or cruel and feel that it takes little to no effort to do little things like hold doors and say a genuine 'thank you.' I'm proud that this is something Scooter is internalizing.

6. I like the parent I am. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel pretty good about the job I am doing (and Trillian with me too). I take it as a good sign that Scooter thinks laughter and cuddling are the default. I'm proud that we tend to get over the frustrating moments fairly quickly and that on the occasions when I do raise my voice, I follow it up with lots of hugs, an explanation and apology (e.g., "I'm sorry if I scared you with my yelling, but you can't play with that because it's sharp and might hurt you"), and a reminder of how much I love him.

7. I like my ability to lose myself in the worlds brought to me by books. For the time that I'm working my way through a book, be it the first time or the twentieth, that world comes alive to me. When I finish, scenes from the book continue to tumble in my mind and I muse about the story's issues and themes for some time to come. It is a lovely half-dream state.

8. I like my creativity. I may not be using it for what I expected back when I was a kid (no, I'm not a published author), but I have enjoyed exploring it and expanding my options for expressing it. This blog gives me one outlet, specifically for my writing. But then there are the little ways, like coming up with games and art projects to do with Scooter (or, in years past, with my students--all educational, of course).

9. I like the way I feel certain pieces of music and art in my soul. I can sometimes articulate the precise part that resonates with me, but I cannot always pinpoint why. Nonetheless, it reminds me I'm alive and thrills me beyond measure.

10. I like the teacher I am. I think that I am enthusiastic, effective, and nurturing. I take difficult concepts and break them down into manageable pieces. I help students find patterns in the information. I always keep in mind how students will need to use specific information in the future and test accordingly. I make myself available (within reason) and am willing to do extra work for those students who show the desire to do more. (And I like that the teacher I am informs the other parts of my life.)

So I think that's 10. It would be truly embarrassing to have made a mistake on that after claiming above to have a mathematical mind.

Now the hard part--I always feel so presumptuous in tagging. But let's see if kittenpie, metro mama and something blue have recovered enough from BlogHer to give this a go.